Shoes are good for kids, right? Wrong! Here’s why you should take their shoes off today!
I remember when my first born started walking. I was so worried about doing everything right… you know, as everyone does with their first child! So we got him the best shoes we could find. With arch support and padding of course. We strapped them on, and our previously very mobile toddler, could barely walk a step without falling. When he stopped falling, he looked like those puppies that have boots on. What was going on?
We did not know then, what we know now. Shoes have no benefit for small children, other than protecting them from injury. For example, stepping on glass.
Shoes can actually weaken the muscles of your child’s foot, and damage their structure.
Children that do not wear shoes, have been shown to have better arches, and stronger feet.
Going barefoot, also allows your child to gather sensory data from their feet. They would not be able to feel the grass, moisture from the soil, or temperature with shoes on.
They also are less able to develop their gross motor skills, because wearing shoes alters their natural balance.
What do we do now for shoes?
Our smallest kids wear Robeez as long as possible, when they aren’t able to be barefoot. For my oldest, we just started buying Vivo Barefoot shoes and we are in love! The shoes are very cool looking, which was a major concern for my oldest. He reports they are his most comfortable shoes ever. They have been good for playing sports, when shoes are necessary. The shoes are also very minimal. (In case you’re wondering, I have no sponsorship deal with either company mentioned in this post).
Do yourself and your little one a favour today, go outside without shoes!
Much of the information is from one of my all time favourite books, Balanced and Barefoot Angela J. Hanscom.
Find a few spots in your week that you can fit in some outdoor time. Two times that work well for us are, right after lunch, but before nap time; or right after school. If we go after school, I make sure dinner is in the slow cooker, so I avoid cranky hungry monsters.
